resow



No. 620,802. Paiented Mar. 7, I899. A. masow & 0. LAUBER.

CARRIAGE FOR FIELD GUNS.

(Application filed Nov. 29, 1898.)

13 Sheeta-S heet I.

(Nu modal.)

ll/izh/esses:

(No Model.)

A. maso'w & o. LAUBER. CARRIAGE FOB FIELD GUNS.

(Application filed Noy. 29, 1898.)

Patented Mar. 7, I899.

3 Sheets$haei 2.

THE mums PETERS co. PHOTO-UTHO" WASHINEYON. n. o.

No. 620,802. Patented Mar. 7, 1899.

A. nzso'w & o. LAUBER. CARRIAGE FOB FIELD GUNS.

(Application filed Nov. 29, 1898.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

* rrn ADOLF RESOVV AND OTTO LAUBER, OF ESSEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNORS TOFRIED. KRUPP, OF SAME PLACE.

CARRIAGE FOR FIELD-GUNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 620,802, dated March'7, 1899.

Application filed November 29, 1898. Serial No. 697,751. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ADOLF RESOW, engineer, and OTTO LAUB'ER, bothcitizens of the German Empire, residing at Essen, Germany, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Carriages for Field-Guns, ofw'iich the following is a specification.

Our invention has reference to improvements in carriages for field-gunswhich fire heavy shot at a high elevation and which are called high-fireguns. These guns are subjected to very heavy strains on their axles andwheels, for which reason these parts must be made very strong, therebygreatly increasing the weight of the carriage.

Various means have been employed for redueing the strains on the axleand wheels-- such, for instance, as suspending the carriagestock on theaxle and wheels in such a manner as to have a translatory movementagainst spring-pressure in relation to the axle and in providing it witha support adapted to abut against the ground on firing the piece. (SeeRevue dArtiZlerie, Vol. 45, pages 524 to 528.) This method ofelastically suspending the carriage-stock on the axle involved severaldisadvantages seriously affecting the action of the carriage. Thus thedirection of motion of the carriage-stock is forwardly inclined insteadof vertically downward, so that the distance traveled in a Verticaldirection, the only direction which effects the reduction of the strainon the axle and wheels, is very short compared to the change of lengthof the buffer-spring. Furthermore, the carriage-stock is not positivelyguided with respect to the axles and may when firing on uneven ground.cause an angular displacement and jamming.

The object of our invention is to overcome these difficulties; and forthis purpose it consists, essentially, in eccentrically supporting thecarriage-stock on the wheel-axle, so as to allow a limited oscillationof the carriagestock against the tension of springs connecting thewheel-axle with the carriage-stock.

The nature of our invention will best be understood when described inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 representsa side elevation of a gun-carriage embodying our improvements, showingthe same in a position of rest. Fig.

2 is a front View of part of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of part ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section through part of the axle. Fig. 5 is a sideView of the principal parts contained in the is parallel to the line onwhich the carriage.

stock is pivoted to the axle. The crank-axle here shown is made of onepiece, but it may be built in several pieces. The central part mmay-pass through the sides of the carriagestock and be cranked outside,or the axle may be straight from one wheel to the other and providedwith cranks extending therefrom and pivotally connected to thecarriage-stock. Owing to this connection of the carriage-stock and thewheel-axle, the former may oscillate around the latter, the degree ofoscillation being limited in the example shown by the sector-shapedopening in the flange or plate of the bearing L, through which openingthe ends of the axle pass.

In view of the construction so far described the weight of the gun andcarriage acting upon the central part m of the axle would cause saidcentral part to be depressed or oscillated around the axis of thewheels, the trail at the same time sliding to the rear a short distance,or the trail under certain circumstances will remain stationary whilethe wheels move a short distance forward. During this oscillation of thepart 'm of the axle the distance between the trunnion-bearings and theend n, forming the axle of the wheels, is shortened, as will be seen bycomparing Figs. 1, 5, and 6. By inter-posing an elastic medium betweenthe upper part of the carriage-stock and the ends at of the axle thiselastic medium will be compressed when the moment of its resistance inrelation to the center of oscillation is smaller than the turning momentdue to the weight of the carriagestock and gun. When,however, thetension of the medium is so adjusted that its moment is greater thanthat due to the weight of the carriage-stock and of the gun, the partswill remain in the position shown in Fig. 1 until under the action ofthe recoil a larger force comes into the action, whereby the part m ofthe axle is depressed and the elastic medium compressed.

In the example shown in the drawings each one of the axle ends it isprovided with an eye, to which is pivoted a spring-bolt B, looselyguided in a flange of the carriage-stock. This bolt, as shown, carries acolumn of dishsprings abutting at one end against the head of thespring-bolt and at the other end against the flange of thecarriage-stock. The aggregate tension of the dish-springs, is greaterthan the opposite force due to the weight of the stock and gun. Aboutvertically beneath the trunnion-bearings is suspended from thecarriage-stock a pendulous support S, Figs. 1 and 2.

The action of the apparatus is as follows: Vhen the gun is fired at agreat elevation, the recoil of the gun acts, in addition to the weightof the several parts, to depress the central part 771 of the axle, whichsaid part is caused to swing around the endsn as an axis against theaction of the spring, the downward motion of the forward end of thecarriage-stock being limited by the support S, which is brought downinto the ground, as shown in Fig. 6. After firing the springs expand andthe carriage-stock resumes its former position, as shown in Fig. 1.

WVhat we claim as new is 1. In carriages for fieldguns, a carriagestockpivoted to the wheel-axle eccentrically to the axis of the wheels, so asto allow a limited oscillation of the carriage-stock .around the axis ofthe wheels under the action of weight and recoil, and springs betweenthe axle of the wheels and the forward end of the carriage-stock adaptedto act in opposition to the tendency of the weight and recoil to turnthe carriage-stock around the axis of the wheels, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

2. In carriages for field-guns, the combination with the carriage-stockand the wheels, of an axle consisting of a-central part m pivotallyconnected to the forward end of the carriage-stock, axle ends n, theaxis of which is parallel to the axis of the pivots of the central partsm, so as to permit limited oscillation of the carriage-stock around theaxis of the wheels, and two spring-actuated bolts B pivoted to the axleends and loosely guided at the forward ends of the carriage-stock andadapted to act in opposite direction to the tendency of the weight andrecoil to turn the carriage-stock around the axis of the wheels,substantially as described.

3. In carriages for field-guns, the combination with the carriage-stockand the wheels, of an axle consisting of acentral part m pivotallyconnected to the forward end of the carriage-stock, axle ends 72-, theaxis of which is parallel to the axis of the pivots of the central partm, so as to permit limited oscillation of the carriage-stock around theaxis of the wheels, two spring-actuated bolts B pivoted to the axle endsand loosely guided at the forward ends of the carriage-stock and adaptedto act in opposite direction to the tendency of the weight and recoil toturn the carriagestock around the axis of the wheels, and a support Ssuspended from the carriage, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

ADOLF RESOVV. OTTO LAUBER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM ESSENVVEIN, GEO. P. PETTIT.

